Hi - Just after your thoughts. I have been using Frontpage and then Dreamweaver to learn about building websites ( as well as hand coding).
Also just starting experimenting with CSS layouts.
Anyway, I would really like to get into database driven web sites and have obtained Microsofts (free) Visual Web developer Enterprise Edition which comes with the Enterprise edition of SQL server(although I will probably start with connecting to Access). My question, what are your thoughts on Visual Web Developer compared to Dreamweaver?

Thanks
RussG

Dreamweaver is more a designers tool.. Visual Web Dev is a programmers tool. So if you are a programmer, you'll probably find VWD more appealing and vice versa.
In case you're interested. We have a new site up www.learnexpression.com which hosts free videos on Microsofts Expression product. Our sister site to learn .NET is www.learnvisualstudio.net

Thanks for the feedback Kodo.
I think I might be sitting in the middle here, I'm not really a designer as such, or a programmer for that matter. I would like to be both :) . I am already fairly familiar with Dreamweaver so I might have a go with VWD and see how I get on, after all it's free.

Cheers
RussG

I use Dreamweaver for the majority of my projects. You can create a SQL Sever database with MS Visual Web Developer and still use Dreamweaver for the webpage creation. The main advantage of Visual Web Developer is “Web Forms” which are very much like windows forms (found n MS Access, VB) but are interned for Web use. There are great if you want to create a web based database application – however your environment become dependant on Microsoft platforms and browsers.

If your website is intended to be accessible to Internet users – you probably want more cross-platform / browser support – so I would stay with Dreamwaver.

WebAssist has some create database and website tools that integrate with Dreamweaver. I used them for the creating Online Learning web application.

http://www.webassist.com/professional/products/productdetails.asp?PID=110

https://www.mbheducational.com/courses/shop.asp?SID=1

Thanks for the advice MicroE, I had thought about using both on the same project but wasn't sure if it was really a feasible idea. And thanks for the links.
RussG

If your website is intended to be accessible to Internet users – you probably want more cross-platform / browser support – so I would stay with Dreamwaver.

I have to take issue with this.. VS 2005 does a great job of supporting standards and I've yet to build a web site in it that didn't work to my design in IE or FireFox. The next release of VS (Orcas) is even better!

Yes – but running ASP.Net on non Windows Operation Systems - Apples, Unix, Linux….

Mono Project

That is my point – the amount of work it takes to get the VB.Net applications to run properly on other platforms/browsers.

If my intention is to build a full blown web application – I would use .Net.

If I simply want to create a search feature, shopping cart, or dynamic content interface to a database, I would use Dreamweaver.

I have been using both development tools for years (I started when it was MS InterDev 1.0).

The MS suite is much more robust but it also requires a greater understanding of web development, programming, and TIME.

Using Dreamweaver, a decent shopping cart interface can be built in less than a day without writing a single line of code. Also, it will work on a MAC OS (and others) without the need of third party software or plug-ins.

without writing a single line of code
I hate getting into things like this.. but that can't possibly be a robust, code maintainable and long lasting code sustainable architecture.

Remember , you can have 2 of the 3: Quick, Cheap, Good

I'm not so sure I'd want anyone to build me a web site who didn't have a good understanding of web development. Granted that doesn't mean that all who use DW are not knowledgeable, but web development is getting a lot more complex these days. ;)
Ok, I'm done..

I'm not so sure I'd want anyone to build me a web site who didn't have a good understanding of web development.

I completely agree.

Dreamweaver uses extensions, much like wizards – code is created and can be modified. It is very difficult to explain, one would really have to use Dreamweaver in order to see what I am talking about.

Dreamveaver sites and .Net projects can actually be intergraded together. I have several sites where I do this. The navigation, core content, and standard functionality are done within Dreamweaver. The Dreamweaver site overlays .Net pieces, which include advanced functionality, database management, and web services.

Thanks for your input chaps, very interesting to hear your different opinions.
RussG